how long is a shawl???

I am knitting a lace shawl and can't make up my mind about 'how long' does the shawl have to be.
It is about 6 inches wide, and currently both halves are 28 inches long. How much more do I have to knit?
Any input is appreciated.

Summer heat

Yes, there always is a fabulous summer in California. That is nothing unusual.
What is going on in my knitting world is just as hot as the weather though, and pretty unusual. The ever growing engagement with Knit Picks is remarkable. The new 100 % silk yarn line Luminance was introduced end of June and a call for new designs was issued.
I submitted a pattern for a vintage-looking shawl I had made for myself years ago and the pattern was accepted. So guess what:  I have the great pleasure to knit with 100 % silk in Meditation. The yarn feels super soft and the color is strikingly light blue, with hint of mint. I can't wait until it is completed and blocked. As you can see, I am knitting both halves at the same time. The marker is needed when knitting 2 pieces at once. It marks the beginning edge of the first piece right side. It helps you see very easily if you knitted across both pieces before turning and knitting on the wrong side.

I do have another design finished that was made from Knit Picks yarn Palette. It's a striped men's vest. Last Sunday morning we took a trip to the cactus park and took these pictures.

Meet Swellegance and it's features.

 

young hip styling......

sh, don't tell anyone the vest was made for Ruben (on the left)

 

 

Appealing to today's professional, or more to the women who want to make a vests for them.

 

The stripes are patterned as well and make this simple piece, stunning.

 

Can you believe, Ruben is planning on wearing this in the Garage to work on motor cycles?

 

The Pocket was a special trick. All patterns call for a Gauge Swatch. With this pattern the gauge swatch is being turned into a pocket. So you don't have knit that piece twice. The other trick and great feature of this pocket is that it has the stripes going the opposite direction than the vest which allows the pocket to be much larger. The size now can accommodate a larger phone. There also is a button to close the pocket, so the phone does not slip out, when working in the Garage, ha ha

Now I have to finish the pattern. Writing takes a little longer than knitting the sample. Writing this pattern is especially difficult because I want to make sure it can be knitted in all sizes, from small to XXL. It will also need graphics with the garment measurements for each size. All I can say is: I am working on it!

On my last blog I showed the yarn I purchased to make some shirts that can be washed and are also dryer safe. Look, the red shirt is done. It is on its way to Adelle as a present for her second birthday.
I have tried out the claim that this yarn, even though it contains wool, is washable and dryer safe. It is true! The sample I did, looked and measured the same before and after it was washed and dried.

Seriously, knitting is my passion and it is taking over my life. The retiring slowly idea has taken hold. The extra days off, are filled with my passion. I feel happy, over all healthy, relaxed and grateful to be able to experience all of it.

More knitting - more rewards

Rewards as in smiling faces. Friendly thank yous and returned favors.
I just came from my mother-in-law with three pairs of pants on my arm, I had knitted her a hat.
She was mentioning a few weeks ago that it was time for her, now in her middle 80ies, to give up driving. It was important to her to keep up her daily walks though. She goes early in the morning, but San Diego is cold now. I showed her some yarn in a color she liked and last weekend I started knitting a hat. It was finished today and I had the pleasure to deliver it.

It is made out of yarn from Zen Yarn Garden, named Serenity Silk+, 75% superwash merino / 25% cashmere / 10% silk. What a combo! It is soft, warm and silky. And with all the Zen and serenity words in the name of the yarn, her walks should be just like that.

cau cau surfer is live

Well, the dress has arrived in Japan and one little girl is wearing it already.
This one was made following the size #3 of the pattern Cau Cau Surfer

It looks like she can go out and play as soon as the weather gets warm there.

This knitting pattern is now available at my ravelry and etsy shops for downloading. I must get back to making one more dress, the #1 size to be ready for Miss Allison's 1st birthday.

You know it is a really good thing that I actually like knitting the patterns I write. This Cau Cau Surfer in particular feels very soft and is flowing easily along on the knitting needles. It is also light and does not weigh much, so your arms are not getting tired as you knit along.

Cau Cau is a beautiful beach in Chile that this hand dyed yarn was created after. The waves, the eucalyptus forests, and the steep hills are all represented in the yarn. With my creation I’ve tried to continue the wave and the forest impressions into the pattern design. I think little girls will love wearing this dress as apron over their formal dress, as summer shirt over shorts, or as a beach outfit. The yarn is made of 60% pima cotton and 40% silk and will feel very soft and always comfortable. Since the yarn is hand dyed it is recommended to alternate between two hanks in assorted rows (2-4). I did not do that. Instead, when winding the hanks into balls, I’ve selected the darker shades for one dress and the lighter shades for another.
It takes 3 skeins for the three smaller sizes and 4 skeins for the size 2-3 years. You can find he yarn on e-bay right now for sale for $8.10 a skein e-bay seller

There are different color combination available from the yarn maker - Araucania

other color option available

Happy knitting everyone!